


Running Out of Time With You

by butterflyslinky



Category: That Guy with the Glasses/Channel Awesome
Genre: Drug Use, M/M, Magic, Puella Magi Madoka Magica AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-26
Updated: 2016-03-26
Packaged: 2018-05-29 06:01:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6362323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butterflyslinky/pseuds/butterflyslinky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>90s Kid has a terrible destiny. But Dan’s not going to give him up without a fight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_“HUUUUUUUUUUMAAAAAAAAN.”_

Dan shuddered as the Entity repeated its call, but 90s Kid didn’t flinch. “Stay back, Dan!” the boy called. “ _What you see is what you get!_ ”

Dan knew those words well. That was 90s Kid’s trigger to make his transformation: his black shirt became green and silver armor chest plate, his green plaid shorts metallic boxers and shin guards; and in a flash of light his gun formed in his hands, a short-barreled rifle with the ability to fight the glitches that threatened to consume the world. But this one…this one was different.

“Kid!” Dan called, but it was too late. 90s Kid was already transformed and charging in. “Kid, wait!”

“He’ll be okay!” called another voice from above them. Dan glanced up to see 90s Kid’s mentor, Linkara, on a nearby rooftop. “I AM A MAN!”

Linkara transformed instantly into his long brown coat and vest, tie neatly tucked in. Linkara leaped down from the rooftop and pulled out his own magic gun, aiming it at the Entity.

Dan was terrified Linkara would hit Kid, but with an urgent “Get out of the way!” Linkara fired a magical blast at the Entity which connected with a blare of static and light.

90s Kid avoided the blast easily and opened fire. The Entity shrieked as bullets perforated its pixelating body, white noise rebounding off the surrounding buildings. Dan covered his ears, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the fight.

The Entity suddenly sprouted tendrils that snaked out and grabbed Linkara, flinging him into one of the buildings. 90s Kid used the momentary distraction to fire another shot at the Entity, though this time it bounced off harmlessly.

Dan watched the creature closely, trying to spot a weakness. Of course, he didn’t really understand how glitches could take sentient form, let alone be fought, but he had seen enough battles in the last month to know it was possible. But this…this was unlike anything else they had ever encountered.

It was huge, ever-changing, a giant blob of four-dimensional multicolored pixels always flickering in and out of sight and existence. Sometimes it resembled a skeleton, sometimes a monster, and sometimes a human being, but always, always pixelated. How could they beat something like that?

Linkara was up and already running back into the fight. He managed a single shot before he was forced to dodge another pixilated tendril. 90s Kid jumped up, higher than an ordinary human could in his transformed state, and fired a blast at the Entity’s head, or wherever its head would be if it had a steady form. The Entity screeched and snatched 90s Kid out of the air, slamming him into the ground.

90s Kid shook it off and grinned at Dan. “This is awesome, dude!” he called, before he dashed back into the fight. Dan kept his horrified expression; this fight was anything but awesome. 90s Kid ran straight at the Entity, shooting the whole way.

Linkara hit it with another blast of magic and yelled out, “90s Kid! Now!”

90s Kid nodded and kept going, jump- kicking the Entity in the middle. Dan gasped as the pixels spread, enclosing 90s Kid, consuming him. “Kid!”

Linkara ignored Dan’s outburst. “One!” he yelled as 90s Kid vanished entirely. “Two! THREE!”

He fired his gun one more time as a blast of magic seemed to come from inside the Entity itself, as though 90s Kid were shooting from within. The Entity screamed one final time then dissolved, vanishing as though it had never been.

90s Kid was suspended in midair, glowing slightly, his eyes closed and his face peaceful. Dan rushed forward, but Linkara caught his arm. “No, Dan,” he said. “There’s nothing you can do for him.”

Dan struggled. “Kid! Kid!”

90s Kid began to glow brighter, a great light overtaking him. His body arched and then the light swallowed him and he was gone.

Dan whirled on Linkara. “What happened?”

“He died,” Linkara said simply. “It’s what happens to Magical Boys when they have to fight something like this.”

“But…why did he…why couldn’t you go in and take that blast?”

“Because I’m not powerful enough.” Linkara let go of Dan and turned away. “If I had been consumed, I wouldn’t have been able to keep my mind conscious to shoot from within. He knew what he was doing. It was his destiny from the start. So you have to let him go.”

Dan fell to his knees, sobbing. Linkara patted his shoulder awkwardly. “I’m sorry,” Linkara said.

“Go away,” Dan mumbled.

Linkara patted his shoulder again and then turned and walked away. Dan remained on his knees, crying, his tears mixing with the rain that had started to fall.

“Well, well,” a smooth, soft voice said. “Another soul consumed by grief. How… sad.”

Dan looked up to see a tall dark-haired man standing before him. “Who are you?” Dan asked.

The man smiled handsomely. “A friend,” he said. “One who comes to every grieving soul and offers them a chance to change their circumstances.” His smile, though charming, was cold and Dan could see no genuine feeling behind it. “So, Dan Johnson, you have lost the one you love above all others.”

Dan nodded, not even caring how the man knew his name. “He…he was everything to me.”

“Oh, I know,” the man said. “He was a rare soul indeed. Kind, good, brave… loving. The perfect angel. The type of man you’d give anything for.”

Dan shivered at the man’s words. “Who are you?” he asked again.

The man chuckled. “You’re a clever one,” he said. “But there’s no good answer to that question, because I have many names and countless forms. They call me the Prince of Darkness, the King of Hell. They call me Mephistopheles and Beelzebub. They call me Lucifer, and Crowley, and numerous other things. Listing them would take all night, though.”

Dan backed away quickly. “You’re the Devil,” he realized.

“That is one word for it,” he said. “Though they have the concept wrong. I don’t seek to make people miserable, you understand. I seek to make them happy on this Earth. You may call me Mephisto for short.”

“But then you torment them for all eternity.”

“Hmm, yes. That is a rather high pay-off, I admit.” Mephisto looked thoughtful. “Well, maybe this was a mistake. After all, you seem like the perceptive sort. You know what making a deal with me is like and you want no part of it.” He turned to go. “And here I thought you’d do anything to get your wonderful love back.”

Dan watched Mephisto start to walk away. “Wait,” he finally called.

Mephisto turned back. “Yes?”

“What’s your contract?”

Mephisto smiled. “Three wishes, Dan Johnson. Three wishes in exchange for your soul. Think carefully, though, because you can’t wish for more wishes.”

“Can you bring 90s Kid back?”

“Alas, no.” Mephisto seemed apologetic. “Normally, bringing a soul back to life is simple. It’s just a matter of retrieving it and returning it to the body. But with Magical Boys, it’s not so easy, mostly because there’s no body to return the soul to, and creating a new body always causes problems. Hard to get the brain to muscle coordination set up correctly, and that would make your lives miserable.”

Dan nodded. “I see.” He thought for a moment. “But I can still save him.”

“You can try,” Mephisto agreed.

Dan nodded again. “I’ll take it,” he said.

Mephisto smiled and produced a scroll and a knife. “Excellent,” he said. “Sign here.”

Dan looked over the contract carefully before he cut his finger and smeared his blood at the bottom. Three wishes, exactly as he asked, for one soul. No complaining about consequences, no making a deal with an angel to undo it later. Simple, straightforward, non-negotiable.

Mephisto cut his finger in return and signed beneath Dan. He then reached into his pocket and produced a pocket watch. “This is our connection,” he said. “Whenever you make a wish, touch the watch and it will be granted.”

Dan took the watch in his hand and held it tight. “I wish to be able to go back to the day I met 90s Kid as many times as I need to save him.”

Mephisto’s smile grew. “Your wish is granted. Just wind the watch backwards.”


	2. Chapter 2

Dan remembered the day he met 90s Kid perfectly.

It had started as a normal day in 1989. Cold, grey, dull, with Dan stumbling down the street on his way home from one hell of a party the night before. That was how he started almost every morning, coming down off a high and wanting more. But he also knew that he had to go home eventually and shower, so he was trying to get there with minimal incident.

As Dan got to his street, he noticed that the wall at the end was shaking, almost like it was made of multiple layers that didn't overlap quite right. It was probably an effect of the drugs still in Dan’s system, but he couldn’t help but walk towards it, reaching out to touch it, to see if it was real or not. His hand met the wall and shocked him.

He must have passed out, because the next thing he knew, he was waking up on a sidewalk he didn’t recognize, with a boy he didn’t know leaning over him.

“Dude,” the boy said. “Dude, are you okay?”

Dan blinked. The boy was dressed in a very odd assortment of clothes, orange cap and sunglasses with a black t-shirt under a green plaid. He was looking at Dan, and even through the sunglasses, Dan could see his concern. “Um…” Dan started. “I think so?”

The boy looked him over carefully, as though checking for injuries. Dan pushed himself into a sitting position. “I’m okay,” he insisted. “Just had a bad hit last night.”

The boy frowned. “Dude, that’s not cool,” he said.

“I know,” Dan said. “But it’s all I’ve got.”

Before the boy could say anything more, a new voice interrupted. “90s Kid, have you found anything?” A man came around the corner. He was dressed in a similar manner as the boy, but he had a brown coat over his plaid and wore a brown trilby hat and glasses.

“Think I’ve got someone who was glitched,” the boy, 90s Kid, answered. “But I’m not sure…you’re better at figuring that out.”

The man came over and knelt beside Dan. He pulled a model flintlock pistol out of his coat and pointed it at Dan. Dan almost laughed, but decided not to. Finally, the man stood up. “Yes,” he said. “Glitch in the timeline, just like you.”

90s Kid smiled. “Oh, dude, that’s…well, not awesome for you, but I’m so glad I’m not the only one!” He grinned at Dan. “My name is 90s Kid, and this is Linkara.”

“I’m Dan,” Dan said dumbly. “Um…what do you mean, a glitch in the timeline?”

Linkara shook his head. “Right, you don’t know,” he said. “Let’s start with the basics. What year is it?”

“1989,” Dan said promptly.

“You’ve come a long way,” Linkara said.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that it’s 2010 now,” Linkara said. “You were consumed by a time glitch and fell into the future.”

“…What?”

“It’s totally okay, dude,” 90s Kid said. “I, like, fell through one too, in 1999. But it’s totally radical here! They have really awesome computers, and games, and guns…oh, man, you’re gonna love it!”

“90s Kid!” Linkara chided. “Give the man time to adjust. And while your assurances are very nice, he probably doesn’t need puppy dog energy right now!”

“Oh, right,” 90s Kid said. “Sorry, dude. I’m just totally stoked to have someone else who understands…”

“It’s okay,” Dan said. “I’m glad to have someone to help me adjust.” He smiled at 90s Kid.

Linkara studied Dan for another moment, his brow furrowed. “I don’t understand,” he muttered. “Time glitches don’t usually show up for ordinary people…”

Dan didn’t understand what Linkara meant. “Ordinary people?” he repeated.

Linkara waved his hand. “Nothing,” he said. “Listen…do you need a place to stay? I know a very nice lady who has a spare room…”

“Um…okay,” Dan said. “Thanks.”

*

At first, Dan had to admit he thought he was still tripping. But once it sunk in that this was real, that he really was 21 years into the future, it wasn’t too hard to adjust to the new time. Dan missed his old haunts, most of which had changed in the last twenty years, but his roommate Dolly was happy to show him around. Or at least, she didn’t complain about it too much.

90s Kid made a point of visiting almost every day, though, and he was more than enthusiastic about hanging out with Dan. Dan was grateful for 90s Kid. The boy was a never-ending flow of energy. He always had a cheerful saying and a good suggestion for what they could do. Dan was glad to follow 90s Kid’s lead and extremely happy to have a friend like him, even if 90s Kid could only spend a few hours a day with him. When Dan asked what 90s Kid did in the evenings, though, 90s Kid said something vague about training. He never said what he was training for, though.

He didn’t have to, though. Because about a week after Dan arrived, he learned.

They were walking down the street, intending to head to an arcade they both liked, when Dan saw it. A wall that was flickering just like the one he had seen in the 80s.

“Kid! That’s…that’s what it was before!”

90s Kid turned and his face hardened. “Get behind me, Dan,” he said, and Dan couldn’t remember ever hearing 90s Kid sound so serious.

“Is that…is it another time glitch?”

“Yes,” 90s Kid. “At least…I think it is. It could be something worse. Either way, you need to stay back.”

“I’m not gonna touch it, Kid.”

“You don’t have to,” 90s Kid said. “If it’s more than a time glitch…”

A stream of pixels suddenly sprang from the wall, forming a ball of snow static that came straight towards Dan. 90s Kid yanked Dan out of the way of the incoming danger and into a doorway. “Stay here!” he ordered before he turned around, putting one hand on his hat. “ _What you see is what you get!”_

Dan didn’t understand what was happening. All he knew was that 90s Kid was suddenly floating, glowing brightly as his body moved as though in a dance. Time seemed to stop in that moment as 90s Kid’s usual outfit transformed itself into a lightweight green armor, with one shoulder pad, an ammunition belt, and several pouches. 90s Kid reached out his hand and a large but somehow awesome gun formed out of thin air and came to him. At last, 90s Kid landed on his feet, the gun aimed straight at the glitch.

The glitch made a sound that was somewhere between a scream and white noise and seemed to grow bigger, reaching out toward 90s Kid. 90s Kid didn’t move, simply shot at it. The glitch screamed again and recoiled before launching itself at 90s Kid again. It hit him, knocking him down, but 90s Kid flipped to his feet quickly and hit the glitch with the barrel of his gun, throwing it across the street. 90s Kid shot several times in quick succession. The glitch writhed and screamed but couldn’t get across the street.

90s Kid shouted out, “Magic blast power!” and fired once more. A beam of bright green light shot from his gun and hit the glitch. The glitch made several more shrieking noises before it finally burst apart, dissolving into nothingness. 90s Kid smiled before his touched his hat again and reverted back to his normal appearance.

Dan stared at 90s Kid for several minutes before he finally dared approach him. “Kid?”

90s Kid took a deep breath. “Yeah,” he said. “That’s…what I do, basically.” He smiled at Dan. “It’s totally cool, dude.”

“What…what are you?”

“I’m a Magical Boy,” 90s Kid explained. “Basically, for some reason, I was born with the power to fight glitches…things that disrupt the natural order of the world and try to erase existence. When I turned 13, I was able to use magic…it was kind of scary at first, cause I didn’t have anyone to tell me what was happening. But then I fell through a time glitch and got here, where I met Linkara…he’s another Magical Boy. And he told me what was going on and offered to teach me to control my powers and fight glitches. So I do, and it’s awesome! Though…I’ve only really been training for a month. Before, I just kind of shot energy at things…that tended to do a lot of damage to buildings, which is totally not cool.”

“But…” Dan hesitated. “Isn’t that dangerous?”

90s Kid shrugged. “Well, yeah,” he said. “If a glitch consumes you, it can do totally bogus things to you. Time glitches are the least harmful, really. They just send you into the future. But that wasn’t a time glitch. That was a universe glitch. If it consumed you, you would have been erased from history and never even existed. That’s why we have to fight them. If we let them be, they’ll just erase the world.”

Dan breathed hard, realizing exactly what had almost happened. “So…you saved my life,” he said.

“I guess?” 90s Kid was blushing now. “Um…”

“Thank you.”

90s Kid smiled. “You’re totally welcome, dude.”

*

After that, Dan accompanied 90s Kid on patrols. Linkara wasn’t exactly happy about this, but he didn’t object. “I think it does him good to have a cheerleader,” he told Dan one night.

Dan laughed. “I’m happy to be Kid’s cheerleader,” he agreed.

He did worry about 90s Kid sometimes, but every battle he saw ended with 90s Kid and Linkara victorious and another glitch defeated. After a battle, 90s Kid liked to go back to Dan’s to unwind, and Linkara allowed it.

It was one of these times, sprawled out on the couch watching cartoons, that Dan realized what he was feeling.

“90s Kid?” he said tentatively.

“Yeah?”

Dan hesitated. “I’m…I’m really happy you found me,” he said carefully. “And that you’ve saved me so many times.”

90s Kid smiled and waved his hand. “Dude, it’s totally cool. I’ll always save you.”

“I know,” Dan said. “You’re so brave and good and I…”

“What?” 90s Kid sat up properly and looked at Dan.

Dan couldn’t help it. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to 90s Kid’s lips.

90s Kid didn’t move at first and Dan thought he had just ruined everything. But then 90s Kid was pressing back, wrapping his arms around Dan and kissing him enthusiastically, clutching him close.

They pulled back a moment later and 90s Kid smiled. “I know,” he said quietly.

*

Watching 90s Kid die was the worst thing Dan had ever done. He loved him too much, and he couldn’t stand the idea of a world without him.

It was an easy choice to make, really. And this time, it would be different. No matter what it took, Dan would save him. He didn’t care if he died in the attempt; he didn't care if his soul was forfeit. He was nothing.

90s Kid mattered. 90s Kid was worth everything.


	3. Chapter 3

The first time he went back and woke up on the sidewalk, he couldn’t resist. He pulled 90s Kid into a tight hug the moment he saw him.

Needless to say, 90s Kid was a bit weirded out. “Dude…what are you doing?”

“Sorry,” Dan said. “But…I’m happy to see you.”

90s Kid pulled away and backed off. After Linkara had delivered Dan to Dolly, 90s Kid didn’t come around again. It hurt, but Dan figured this would be best. Maybe if he and 90s Kid weren’t friends, if they weren’t in love, maybe 90s Kid wouldn’t jump into the fight so recklessly to protect him.

But he had to be sure. So Dan went to the place where the Entity would appear. He stayed back, out of the way, watching from a rooftop.

90s Kid and Linkara fought, with the grace of a team who had spent a lot of time preparing for this very moment. But even without someone to protect, 90s Kid threw himself at the Entity and was consumed. The beam of light, and 90s Kid was gone.

Dan turned the watch back.

*

The second time, he was more careful. He went along with the script this time, didn’t do anything that would scare 90s Kid. Pretended he didn’t know what was going on with the Magical Boy thing. Let them fall in love again.

But this time, there was urgency to it. Dan wanted to have 90s Kid as much as he could. He didn’t push, but he knew it felt more desperate, more intense. If 90s Kid minded, he didn’t say anything.

The night before the Entity was due to appear Dan turned to him. “90s Kid?” he asked. “If this was the last night of your life, what would you want the most?”

90s Kid met him with eyes that were supposed to be confused, but Dan could see the resignation in them. The boy knew. “Dan…”

“Please. Just tell me.”

90s Kid curled against him. “Just this,” he said. “I just want you with me.”

Dan nodded and held 90s Kid close, kissing him softly. “I love you so much, Kid.”

“I love you too, Dan.”

“Kid…I know that tomorrow…something could happen…”

“Yeah?”

“Please…think about it. Is it…is it really the best course?”

90s Kid didn’t look at him. “It’s the only course,” he said.

Dan didn’t even wait until morning. He turned the watch back.

*

This time, he didn’t try to talk 90s Kid out of it. Instead, he played out the script, but on the day it would happen, he kept 90s Kid as long as he could, tried to distract him.

But 90s Kid knew what he had to do. And no matter what Dan said, he insisted. “I have to go, dude,” he said. “There’s a huge glitch to fight and Linkara can’t handle it himself.”

“Are you sure?” Dan said. “Linkara’s a very powerful being.”

90s Kid shook his head. “Linkara’s good, but he told me…he told me I’m the only one with the power to defeat it.”

“Kid…”

“You can’t stop it, Dan. You have to let me go.”

Dan went with him. But this time, he ran toward the Entity himself. Maybe if it consumed him…

A blast of magic knocked him out of the way. Linkara glared. “Stay out of the way!” he snapped.

90s Kid was already jumping in. Dan turned back the watch.

*

He didn’t know how many times he had come back. How many plans he tried. Avoiding 90s Kid, interfering in the fight with the Entity, giving everything he could to him so he would hesitate.

“Aren’t I worth living for?” he asked once.

“Of course, dude,” 90s Kid. “But if you’re worth living for, I have to be willing to die to save you.”

Dan turned the watch back time and time again. It never worked. He watched 90s Kid die over and over again, no matter what he did.

After watching him die after one particularly unpleasant attempt, Dan knew there was nothing for it. So on the next attempt, he followed the script, but he also started going down the road to get something to help.

Cocaine. His white gold, his god, his hatred. It didn’t help, of course, but it made it easier for him to think, to formulate plans. Maybe if he moved here, maybe if he shouted this, maybe if he hurt him, maybe if he loved him…

It didn’t matter. 90s Kid was too set on saving the world.

Dan tried appealing to Linkara, telling him not to let 90s Kid jump into lethal situations. Linkara only looked at him oddly and said that Magical Boys must be ready to make sacrifices.

And through it all, Dan saw more and more what he liked in 90s Kid. He fell in love with the way 90s Kid’s eyes would light up when he spoke, with how he threw himself into every battle with enthusiasm, how he held Dan and kissed him and loved him. Dan supposed he should be grateful, that he had unlimited time with 90s Kid, but he wasn’t, because he knew how it would end. And every time he went back, they had to start over again.

It all began to blur together. Dan started losing track of what he had tried, only knowing that it all ended in failure.

Finally, after a dozen tries and hours and hours of drug use, Dan clutched his pocket watch. “Can I ask you to change his destiny?” he whispered.

“I do not have to power to stop him, or the Entity,” Mephisto whispered in his ear.

Dan nodded. “Then I wish to become a Magical Boy so I can fight alongside him.”

“Wish granted. Your trigger is the watch, and your phrase is ‘take me on.’”

Dan turned the watch back.


	4. Chapter 4

He woke on the sidewalk as usual. 90s Kid was kneeling over him. “Dude, are you okay?” he asked.

“Yes,” Dan said with certainty. “I just fell through a time glitch.” He sat up. “Sorry to scare you.”

“You know about the glitches?”

“Of course.” Dan smiled. “I’m a Magical Boy, just like you.”

*

While Dan didn’t have much training or experience, he quickly got the hang of his new powers, and even when he did something wrong, Linkara was there to correct him. Now, he could go along with them and fight by 90s Kid’s side.

They did well as a team, wiping out more glitches than before. And Dan was happy to fight, happy to share this experience with 90s Kid. It brought them closer, made their relationship stronger. This time, when Dan kissed 90s Kid, the response was more immediately, more passionate, and Dan was so, so happy. Maybe this time, it would work.

But then Linkara sat them down. “The Entity is coming,” he said. “I can feel it. The greatest…the first. It will be here soon, and we have to stop it before it erases all of existence.”

“So how do we kill it?” 90s Kid asked. “Bigger guns? More magic?”

“Maybe,” Linkara said. “And that’s why I called you here. I think we can beat it…the three of us have the power. Especially you, 90s Kid.” He took a deep breath. “But…it has to be destroyed from within. Someone has to be consumed by it, and then we all three have to hit it with our full force.”

“I’ll go in,” Dan said immediately.

“Dude, you can’t!” 90s Kid said.

“He’s right, Dan,” Linkara said. “Whoever goes in has to be extremely powerful and able to keep focused enough to fight it. It only takes one minute to be erased, so we have to work fast…” He was shaking. “I hate to ask it of you, 90s Kid, but…you’re the most powerful Magical Boy I’ve ever seen. You’re the only one who’s strong enough to beat it…but…”

“But I’ll die,” 90s Kid finished. “I know…being consumed by a glitch and then hit with magic…no one could survive that.”

“Kid, please,” Dan begged. “Don’t do this…we can find another way, there has to be…”

“There isn’t,” Linkara said. “I’ve considered every option and this is the only one that might work.” His eyes were bright. “I’m sorry.”

*

“How does he know?” Dan asked 90s Kid that night. “How does he know what’s coming, and that you’re the only one who can beat it?”

“Dude, that’s his power,” 90s Kid said. “Like, we all have a special ability, right? Mine’s enhanced empathy…I feel things more strongly, and I can even sense other people’s emotions. Linkara’s power is that he can sense glitches and Magical Boys…he has instant knowledge of all of us. So if he says this is the way, you can bet he’s right.”

Dan’s face fell. “But…”

90s Kid hugged him. “Don’t cry, dude,” he said. “If this is the best way…I have to take it.”

Dan’s hand fell on his watch. “No,” he said. “You don’t.”

*

The next time, he didn’t fight alongside 90s Kid. He operated independently, occasionally going to help when he knew a fight would be difficult. He avoided 90s Kid, not wanting to feel it anymore, no matter how much he loved him.

He went to the place the Entity would come on his own. He joined the fight, and Linkara didn’t stop him. After all, they were all going for the same thing.

But then Dan pushed 90s Kid back, away from the Entity. He kept shooting at it, hoping that it would work…

It was coming too fast. Dan couldn’t stop it…

90s Kid pushed past him and jumped in. The blasts of magic disappeared as Dan turned the watch back.

He had to stop 90s Kid from being the most powerful.


	5. Chapter 5

“I don’t understand it,” Linkara muttered. “How can you be this powerful?”

90s Kid shrugged. “I dunno, dude. Maybe I’m just awesome like that!”

Linkara frowned. “There’s something odd surrounding you,” he said. “As though you’ve been training for longer than the month I’ve had you.”

“I guess I’m just really good?” 90s Kid guessed.

“I guess,” Linkara said. “But you’ve still got a long way to go. So come on. Time to start field experience.”

They went out to an alleyway where Linkara had sensed a time glitch. Nothing major, but it needed to be eliminated. “Steady,” Linkara said. “It will come at you in a moment.”

The glitch make its odd shrieking sound and moved toward them, bearing down on 90s Kid. “Steady,” Linkara said. “Steady…”

90s Kid breathed deep. At Linkara’s nod, he raised his hand to begin his transformation…

A pistol shot rang out from above them and a man in a white coat came leaping down from a rooftop. He hit the glitch with a blast of energy and just kept shooting, not letting it get close to 90s Kid. 90s Kid and Linkara could only stare as the man destroyed the glitch. When he had finished, he turned and looked at 90s Kid for a moment.

“Dude, who are you?” 90s Kid asked.

“I’m 80s Dan,” he said, and then he disappeared into the night.

*

Every time they had a fight, Dan was there. He wasn’t going to let 90s Kid fight anymore. He was always there, always jumping in. And this time, he didn’t let 90s Kid know him at all.

He didn’t say anything to anyone. He just went to where he knew the glitches would be. Sometimes, he defeated them before 90s Kid even got there. Other times, he would jump in before 90s Kid started and beat the glitch swiftly and without hesitation.

“I really wish that guy would stop interfering,” 90s Kid muttered. “I haven’t gotten to fight anything!”

“I know,” Linkara agreed. “It’s really irritating. And you’re not getting the experience you need.”

“Maybe I should just blast him out of the way?”

Linkara shook his head. “Rule one of the Magical Boys: we never hurt each other.”

“But…”

“I’ll find him,” Linkara promised. “And I’ll get him to stop.”

It turned out he wasn’t hard to find. He was never too far away from 90s Kid. So it was easy for Linkara to catch him one night.

“Stop fighting for him,” he growled. “I don’t care who you are or what your game is. You have to let him fight.”

Dan shook his head. “I can’t,” he said.

“Why not?”

“I can’t tell you.”

Linkara sighed. “Look…Dan…whoever or whatever you are. If a Magical Boy doesn’t fight glitches, all that magical energy builds up inside him. Without an outlet, it becomes too much. It consumes him. And eventually, it will destroy him.”

Dan stared at Linkara for a moment. “I’m sorry,” he said. “But…I can’t let him get hurt again.” With that, Dan walked away.

He kept interfering. Kept leaping in, kept shooting down the glitches. 90s Kid was annoyed by him, but Dan couldn’t tell him what had happened. What he had done. It would probably kill the boy to know.

*

The Entity was coming. Dan knew it was, and he knew that this time, he would have to stop it alone. And he had to be sure of that.

He went to Linkara on the day he knew that Linkara would sense it. “We have to talk,” he said to the other man.

Linkara frowned at him. “You didn’t seem too eager last time.”

“It’s about the Entity.”

Linkara raised his eyebrows. “I’m listening.”

“I know what your plan is. I know that you’re going to sacrifice 90s Kid to destroy it.”

Linkara took a deep breath. “Yes,” he admitted. “But…he’s the only one with enough magic in him. It’s the only way to beat it. He knows what he’s doing, and he’s ready.”

Dan shook his head. “No,” he said. “You two will stay back. I’m going to fight it.”

Linkara stared at Dan for a moment. “No,” he said. “You can’t beat it. You don’t have the strength. 90s Kid…he’s inexperienced, thanks to you, but he has enough power…and if he doesn’t use it soon, he’s going to die anyway.” He hesitated. “But if you’re so uncertain, you can talk to him about it.”

“Maybe I will,” Dan said, and then he left.

*

He was walking down the street the day before the Entity, thinking about getting another hit of cocaine, when he saw 90s Kid, standing by the comic shop and fidgeting incessantly. Dan stared at him, at the boy he loved so much, and he realized that he couldn’t do it. He had to tell 90s Kid what had happened.

90s Kid spotted him as well and approached. “Dude,” he said. “You’re that bogus guy who keeps getting in the way of my fights!”

“Yes,” Dan said. “Can we talk?”

90s Kid crossed his arms. “Yeah, we’d better.”

They walked back to the apartment where Dan was staying. Dan took a breath as 90s Kid sat down. “I…I’m sorry,” Dan said. “I only wanted to save you.”

“I don’t need saving,” 90s Kid snapped.

Dan shook his head. “You’re going to die,” he said.

“I know.”

Tears began to fall down Dan’s face. “I couldn’t let that happen,” he said. “You’ve already died so many times…I tried to stop it…I tried to make it work out differently…”

“Dude…”

Dan leaned forward and pressed his lips to 90s Kid’s. 90s Kid’s eyes widened, but then he kissed back softly for a second before pulling back. “You love me so much,” 90s Kid said. “Why?”

Dan sat down next to him. “I didn’t used to be like this,” he said. “I used to be a normal human. But then I fell through a time glitch…and I met you.” He reached out and took 90s Kid’s hand. 90s Kid didn’t pull away, so Dan continued. “You saved me…time and again, you leaped in front of glitches to make sure I’d be all right. I fell in love with you…your courage, your kindness…and you loved me, too. And then…” Dan broke off, sobbing. “Then the Entity came. And I saw you die…and I couldn’t take it.”

“What did you do?” 90s Kid whispered.

“The Devil came to me. He offered me three wishes to save your life. He couldn’t just bring you back, so I asked to be able to do it over again…as many times as it took. But it never worked. Every time, you died. Every time I fell in love with you, you were gone a month later. And I just keep doing it…I just kept coming back. Even if it was just to spend more time with you…even if you didn’t love me because of the choices I made in one timeline, I loved you. Then I asked to be a Magical Boy. I thought, maybe if I could fight with you, I could change it. I could throw myself to the Entity, or I could hit it with enough magic outside…but Linkara knew it wouldn’t work. You kept throwing yourself into it. So this time…this time, I knew you couldn’t be involved. So I saved you at every turn…and now, I want to save you one more time.”

90s Kid was silent for several minutes before he finally took a deep breath. “You shouldn’t have done it,” he said.

“I know. But what would you have done?”

“The same thing,” 90s Kid admitted. He looked at Dan. “Look…you can’t beat the Entity without my sacrifice. I know you don’t like it, but…it’s what has to be done. And…” 90s Kid moved closer to Dan. “And if we really love each other as much as you say, I know it will be all right…I know you’ve tried so hard to save me…and I…” He swallowed. “I do feel it. I do know…I love you, 80s Dan, even if I don’t know you half as well as you know me. And I wish we had more time together…with both of us knowing about it.”

“Please, Kid,” Dan said. “Please don’t do this.”

“I have to,” 90s Kid said. “I have so much magic built up inside me…maybe it will be enough.” He pulled Dan into his arms. “Please understand…I don’t want to leave you.”

“Kid…”

“Promise me one thing, Dan.”

Dan looked at him. “What?”

“Promise me that you won’t interfere. And this time, when I…when I die…promise you won’t try to change it.”

Dan hugged 90s Kid close, crying onto his shoulder. “I promise,” he sobbed. “I’ll let you…this time, I’ll let go.”


	6. Chapter 6

They stayed together that night, not moving, simply holding each other on the couch. But when the morning dawned, there was a knocking on the door and they had to break apart. Dan went to answer and found Linkara on the other side.

“Though I’d find you here,” Linkara said. “Magical Boys are easy to track, especially when one has so much pent-up magic.” He looked to 90s Kid. “Are you ready?”

90s Kid nodded. “I’ve made my choice.”

“Please,” Dan said. “Can I come? I promise I won’t stop him, but…I can help fight.”

Linkara sighed. “Fine,” he said. “But I’ll hold you to that.”

Dan nodded. “I’ve accepted it now,” he said.

They went to the place and took their positions, 90s Kid on the ground, Linkara and Dan waiting above him. The streets were still, as though everyone else had already been erased.

And it came, ever-changing and monstrous as always. Linkara nodded to Dan, and they leaped down, transforming as they went.

They fought it. They blasted it with magic, and it threw them with its tentacles. It was the same fight that Dan had seen and fought a thousand times before, and this time, there was no changing it. So he did his duty. He weakened the Entity from the outside, made it easier for 90s Kid to get to it.

“90s Kid, now!”

Dan didn’t try to stop him. He simply watched 90s Kid run into the Entity and be consumed by it.

“One!”

Dan closed his eyes and aimed his gun.

“Two!”

It was going to be okay, it had to be okay, he had promised not to change it this time, but maybe it would be different…

“THREE!”

Dan fired his gun, shooting magical energy at the Entity. Linkara did as well, a beam of white light hitting the other side. And from within, a blast of green more powerful than ever shown through. Dan could barely look at it, it was so bright. The Entity screamed louder than ever before as it broke apart and dissolved. Dan looked down. He wouldn’t see 90s Kid die again…

“90s Kid!”

Dan opened his eyes to see Linkara running over, jumping up and catching 90s Kid’s body. It hadn’t been consumed by magic…maybe this time…

Dan ran toward them as Linkara carried 90s Kid down and laid him on the ground. Dan threw himself down beside him and clutched his hand. “Kid! Kid, please…wake up…”

Slowly, 90s Kid’s eyes opened. “Dan?” he whispered.

“Kid, you made it!” Dan was smiling. “You’re alive!”

“Dan…no.”

Dan’s smile fell. “What do you mean?”

90s Kid’s breathing was harsh and ragged. “I didn’t die right away,” 90s Kid said. “But…I’m so weak…I don’t think I have any magic left…”

Dan looked to Linkara. “What does he mean?”

“He means that his energy is gone,” Linkara said. “And he’s right…there’s only enough magic left to take him when he dies.”

“But…”

Linkara shook his head. “You did well, 90s Kid,” he said gently. “You beat it.”

90s Kid smiled. “I know.” He looked to Dan. “I’m sorry, dude. But I’m not going to last much longer.”

“No,” Dan said. “I have a wish left, I can still save you…”

“Don’t,” 90s Kid said. “This is my fate…this is my choice.” He closed his eyes. “I love you, Dan. But please…let go.”

Dan began to sob, clutching 90s Kid’s hand tighter. “I love you, Kid,” he said, as 90s Kid’s breath stopped and the magic washed over his body.

Linkara stood beside Dan. “Do you know what happens when a Magical Boy dies?” Linkara asked. “Where they go once the magic consumes them?”

Dan shook his head.

“They become part of their strongest virtue,” Linkara said. “They are folded into the universe, strengthening all that is good in it. Some become hope, or knowledge, or courage…for 90s Kid, that virtue was love.”

“I don’t understand.”

“He hasn’t left you, Dan.” Linkara knelt next to him. “He’s still there, in the grief you feel for him…and he’ll always be here. In every heart that beats faster when it looks in someone else’s eyes, in every laugh that a couple shares, in every tear that is shed for loss…in every mother who holds her baby for the first time, in every first kiss and every long friendship, he’ll be there. And he will never really die, because there will always be love in this world. Even when there’s darkness, even when people hurt each other, there’s so much love.”

Dan nodded. “Thank you,” he said. He picked up his watch. “But…I still can’t be away from him.”

“Dan, don’t!”

“I’m not going to,” he said. “I wish that I can stay with 90s Kid forever, as a part of that love.”


	7. Chapter 7

He felt light. Peaceful. Happy.

He opened his eyes and 90s Kid was there, though without his usual clothing…or indeed, any clothing at all, though that didn’t seem wrong here. Dan soon realized that he was in a similar state, but he felt no shame at it. It was innocent now.

“Dude!” 90s Kid smiled widely. “You made it!”

“90s Kid!” Dan pulled him close, kissing him deeply. “Of course I made it…I asked for it.”

“Yeah,” 90s Kid agreed. “Though that Mephisto dude wasn’t happy about it…he said that it was a breach of contract if your soul went here…but I was able to overrule him, cause I’m part of love, and that’s where your wish came from.”

“So we can stay together?”

“Of course, Dan,” 90s Kid said. “We’ll be here, for all of time, and we’ll make everyone else so happy…because when they all feel love, we’ll be the ones who make it possible.”

Dan kissed 90s Kid again. “Good,” he said.

*

Linkara sighed and rose from the ground. He didn’t know how 90s Kid and Dan would fare, but he knew he couldn’t change it. And he was all right with that.

As he walked back to his apartment, though, he saw another glitch—just a normal glitch, but still annoying. Linkara pulled out his magic gun. “Not today,” he muttered.

But before Linkara could pull the trigger, there was a blast of magic from somewhere behind him that destroyed both the glitch and the wall it was resting on. He turned to see a small girl with red hair staring wide-eyed at him.

“Sorry,” she said. “I just…that’s the only way I know to stop those things…they can do a lot of damage, but…I think I do more.”

Linkara smiled at her. “Don’t worry,” he said. “That’s normal when you’re just starting out.” He held out his hand. “My name is Linkara,” he said. “I’m a Magical Boy…more specifically, a teacher of Magical Boys and Girls.”

The girl smiled and shook his hand. “My name is Margaret,” she said. “And I think I’m going to need your help.”


End file.
